Candidate Profile: Benton M. “Ben” White, Jr. (Chesapeake Treasurer Special Election)

Benton M. “Ben” White, Jr. is a candidate for Chesapeake Treasurer Special Election. His name will appear on the ballot on November 7, 2023.

He is running against Dawn Ashby Quick.

The winner will take over the seat held by longtime Chesapeake treasurer Barbara Carraway. She announced her retirement in June. Carraway was first elected Treasurer in 1990.

10 On Your Side reached out to all of the candidates running in this race with specific questions. The responses below came directly from the candidate and are unedited. If you do not see the candidate listed with a profile, we did not receive one.

Name: Benton M. “Ben” White, Jr

Age: 55

Race: Chesapeake Treasurer Special Election

Website: BenWhiteforTreasurer.com

Biography: Ben was born and raised in Chesapeake and has lived in various parts of the city, such as Indian River, South Norfolk, Deep Creek, Great Bridge, and Hickory.  He graduated from Indian River High School, and pursued further education and college baseball at Virginia Wesleyan, earning a Bachelor’s Degree in Management, Business and Economics (MBE) with an emphasis in Accounting. 

Immediately following graduation, he embarked on a career with the City of Chesapeake, now having invested over 32 years in public service to the city.  As the current Deputy Director of Economic Development, Ben leads a team that attracts new businesses and job opportunities to Chesapeake.  Previously he served as the Deputy City Treasurer, overseeing tax collecting tasks, and has held other positions with the City like Public Utility Accountant, General Manager of the Chesapeake Conference Center, and Deputy Sheriff.

Ben and his wife, Robin, have been married for 31 years and live in the Hickory area of Chesapeake.  Robin, a teacher with Chesapeake Public Schools, has dedicated 33 years of service to Sparrow Road Intermediate in Indian River.  They are proud parents of two adult children, a son, Taylor, who works as a Civil Engineer at McDonough Bolyard and Peck in Chesapeake, while their daughter, Hannah, is pursuing a Master’s Degree in Public Health at Old Dominion University.

Why are you running for this office?   

I am running for the office of Treasurer because I know I can make improvements in the office that will positively affect the citizens of Chesapeake.  Helping improve the lives of neighbors, friends, family and fellow citizens has been the reason I have been a public servant for the past 32 years and will continue to do so.  It is the proven leadership exhibited, the relevant skills developed, and experience gained during those 32 years that give me confidence that I am well prepared to fulfil the duties of Treasurer and execute my strategic plan to ensure the timely delivery of bills, the efficient collection of payments and the secure handling of City funds.  I am excited to serve the city as Treasurer and will work tirelessly with my staff to restore trust and confidence in the office. 

Would you plan to modernize operations in the City of Chesapeake Treasurer’s office?  

It is critical that the Treasurer’s office operations and processes be modernized.  As Treasurer we will implement the Tax Modernization System to ensure efficiency and enhanced security for the City and Citizens.  We will make certain taxpayers receive bills on time and enhance access to information online for billing and payment purposes.  We will provide various modes of communication; including enhanced online access for taxpayers, unique email addresses that are regularly monitored for specific taxpayer questions, and an updated telephone system that can better manage and track taxpayer inquiries.  We will seek to enhance payment options that, in addition to the four current locations across the City and a more modern online payment system, could include kiosks that provide 24-hour access for payment processing in more locations and removal of Credit Card Fees if taxpayers register to receive tax bills automatically and pay bills online.  As Treasurer our team will continually seek and implement modern solutions to provide better and more efficient customer service to our Citizens.  

What goals would you hope to accomplish in your first year?    

In my first year as Treasurer, I will seek to fill all vacant positions in the office, deliver bills to taxpayers on time and streamline the payment process for taxpayers.  The most pressing issue in the Treasurer’s Office today is the near 50% vacancy as there are approximately 41.5 positions budgeted, with only 20 positions filled.  As Treasurer my priority will be to develop a team that delivers outstanding customer service.  I will prioritize hiring for key positions such Deputy Treasurer, Collections positions and building out the Accounting team.  Next, I will begin the implementation of a Tax Modernization System, aiming to replace the current legacy mainframe system that is at the end of its useful life, thus ensuring efficiency, enhanced security and the timely delivery of bills.  Finally, we will explore the opportunity to offer a variety of easy payment options for taxpayers; to include an enhanced online payment system, 24-hour payment kiosks at various locations across the City and we will explore the potential for removing the Credit Card Fees for Taxpayers who access and pay their bills online.  

Would you work to mend the relationship between Chesapeake City Council and the Treasurer’s office?

First, I disagree with the premise of the question as I believe the relationship between the City Council and the Treasurer’s office is particularly good.  The Treasurer’s office staff is quite capable of performing their individual duties, but unfortunately there are just too many vacancies for the department to perform well as a whole.  There is a need to modernize and improve processes in the office to ensure taxpayer bills are delivered and tax payments are collected efficiently.  These needs have not yet been addressed adequately but will be my focus on day one and going forward.  I intend to fully staff the Treasurer’s office and develop a high performing team that will deliver outstanding customer service.  Our focus will be to restore trust and confidence in the office and to prove to City Council, the City Administration and to the Citizens of Chesapeake, we are more than capable of performing the Constitutional duties assigned and the duties previously removed from the office. I welcome this challenge and am excited to serve Chesapeake as Treasurer.